


Dial Tone

by americaninja



Category: Splatoon
Genre: Gen, pre-release
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-06
Updated: 2018-04-06
Packaged: 2019-04-19 10:45:09
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 692
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14235579
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/americaninja/pseuds/americaninja
Summary: Good morning, Agent 8.





	Dial Tone

**Author's Note:**

> I can't wait for all of this to be completely invalidated come release day, especially the voice over the Telephone. But I also had to write this NOW, so,

She awoke in darkness.

As her sight faded back in, the dimly-lit, rotted-out ruins of a subway station appeared around her.

A strange man — definitely old, with a beard of tentacles and a captain’s hat — stood next to her as she pulled herself to her feet, unsteady on platform heels. He nodded at her, then directed his gaze forward. She followed his line of sight to a tall, dirty staircase. She looked back at him, and he nodded. Cautiously, on shaking legs, she walked forward.

At the top of the stairs was a row of turnstiles, blocked off by KEEP OUT signs and tape. The man was following behind her. He ducked under the signs and strolled through. Confused, she followed, pausing for a moment to look at the empty attendant booth. Reflected in the grimy glass was an Octoling with pink tentacles, wearing a black two-piece outfit she didn't remember owning. A large yellow bracelet hung around her ankle, and its smaller match circled her wrist.

She leaned in to examine herself closer, but the deafening jangling of an old telephone broke the silence and pulled her away from the reflection. Sure enough, a telephone stood in the middle of the platform, lit by what seemed to be the only functioning light in the facility.

She cocked her head to the side. The man nodded and gently nudged her forward with his cane. Hesitantly, she approached the phone and lifted the receiver to her ear.

“HE҉ĻLO? ͞H҉E͏LL͠O?͏ ÇA͘N ͘Y͜A͞ ͠HEAR ̸M̵E?҉ H͘E͞Y͘ BUTTER̶C͠U̢P̸, ̴C̡AR̷E TO G͟IV͞E҉ ̛M̶E A҉ S̨IG͠N O͟F͠ ҉LI̴FE?” blared from the receiver. The Octoling winced and shied away from the sound. Nevertheless, she managed to let out a strangled sound meant to be a hello.

“Oh ̸good,҉ you hav̶e͝ ̴a fu̷n̴ction͟ing̡ ͟vo͝i҉ce. I d͟o̵n’҉t͜ w͢ann͏a ̨h̛e̵a̷r͜ it a҉gain ̸unl̢e̛ss ̴i̸t̨’̶s s̸a͡y̵iņg ̡‘͡y̕e̸s, m̸a͟’am͝.’ Go̴t͠ ͞it? ͝Nam͞e̢’s ͡Telļy͡, ͡by th͏e ̡way̕.̧ ̛Haha,͏ T͢e͏l͞ly fro͢m ̴the ͘Tel͠ep͠ho͞n͝e. ̢L͟augh a͟ll͠ y̕ou ͢w̸a͜nt,͢ s͘’͟l͏on͞g͞ as҉ ̢I can’t ̶H͡EA͡R͟ I͘T͘.” The Octoling flinched again.

Telly cleared her throat. “Listen ͝up͘, ͏kįd̷d͞o͘, ͜be͠c͢au͟se͠ I d̷o͠n͢’҉t repe͠at m͞ys͠elf. I’͜m͞ su͞re͏ y͞ou h̕a̵v̨e͝ ̕s̛ome ҉quȩs͡ti̕on̛s. W̢h̷ęr҉e am I? H̶ow did̕ I͠ ̡g̨e͏t̕ ̨h͏ere,̧ a͡nd̢ ͟w̴hy ͏a̸m I ev̢en͢ her͢ę? ̶And ͟pe̡rh̨aps͟,̨ ҉m͢o͡st҉ imp͘o͏r̴ta̕ntly, _who am I?_ ”

The Octoling’s eyes widened. The voice was right — who was she? She remembered… nothing. Nothing at all. Not even her name. Her breathing quickened into hyperventilation. _Who am I? Where am I? How did I get here? Why am I here? Whoamiwhereamihowdidigetherewhyamiherewhoamiwhereami—_

“’Ey!͡ Quit ̢that͟ h҉uff҉in̷g a͝n̴d p̕u̧ffing̴!” Telly’s voice shocked her into silence. “Now yo̧u̵ ͢li͜s͘ten ̸g̵ood̸.̧ I’̴l͏l ̕tell ͘you͘ e͘v҉ery̷th҉i͢ng͜ you ͞wan̨t t̸o kn̵ow͜… ͜in goo͘d̨ ̢t͞im̛ę. ̸Rig̶h͞t̕ ̢n͟o͞w,͞ ͞th̢oųgh͢,̷ ̴I’ll ͘gi҉v͠e̛ you a l͢ittl̕e͝ ҉f̸reebie.͡ Y͝ou’r̴e ͠in Cirr̵i͞na S҉ta̸tion͜.͏ ̧Used̵ to ̨b҉e͏ ͜par̸t ͠of ͠the͡ D̶ęep͟s̵ea̷ Me̢tr͡o͏, b̷u̢t̨ no ̶l̕on̕g̷er̨.͢ ̴Don’t̸ w҉or̴ry͞,̛ tho̧ugh̕.͏ ͜I’l͏l̷ ̴re̷d̸i͡rect͝ a t͜r̴a̶i̷n͠ f͏or̨ y̢o͜u͠.̧ No҉w ͝take ̴t̶hese.̛” With a KA-CHUNK, a card and weird little device shot from a slot in the telephone. The Octoling bent to pick them up.

“See ͞tho͠sȩ? That’̵s ͘a͟ C̕Q-8̷0 ͜an̢d͞ ͘a CQ ̴c̨ar̡d̨. ̵Do͜ ̕NO̸T͢ ̨lo͟se҉ t̵he͢m͝. ͏You’̧ļl̛ ne͏ed̵ ̶them t̨o ͢g͜e̷t ҉ar͠ou̢nd͏. ̡The ca͏p͞ta͜in̨ w̢ill͠ ͘e̡x̷p̧la͏in̨ how to use ̕t̶hem. ̛A̷s fo͏r w̡h͞e̷r̶e̡ you̢’re͟ ̢g͝oi̢ng…͏ y͢ou’̛ll unders̶tan̵d so͜on̢ ͘ȩn̢o͏u̕gh.̴” In the distance, a train horn echoed. “Th̢a̧t’͠s y͠ou̶r tr̛a͠i̛n.͜ ͡Do͘n’t ̡w͡a̢nn͢a ̢miss̢ ̛t͜h҉at̶. ̵G̶et̢ rea͏dy̡ ̡to ͢j̴ump ̴f̧o̕r i͞t,͟ ͟be͞c͡a̛use̷ it͞ ain’t̕ ̶st͠oppin͘g. ͡T͡h͡is͏ i̶s͢ ͡t̸h̕e ̷fir̨s͡t ҉d̛a͟y ̷o̷f̕ ͢th͝e re͜s̡ţ ̛o͠f ̛y͝o͝u̷r ̷n̡ew͞ ̛l͘i̕fe,͟ ͟s̛q̢u̢i҉rt, ̸ąn̕d I’d hate ͏f͡o̶r͘ you to͞ ̛m͞i͜ss o͜ųt o͢n͏ i̕t̢ bec̸au͏se͠ y͏ou͜ m͝is͝sed͜ yo͏ur ͠tra̷i̷n.͞ G͞ood ͞l̵uck ͟o͠u̵t th̕er̢e… _Agent 8_.” With that, Telly’s voice cut abruptly to a dial tone.

Agent 8 fumbled to replace the receiver on the hook. The old man — the captain? — came up to her. “You know what you need to do?”

She nodded.

A train horn, closer now, sounded from behind her. She turned to face the other set of tracks and saw a faint glow coming from her right, brightening rapidly.

She ran to catch the train.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading!  
> EDIT: No spoilers but I am CRYING at how far off the mark I was oh my GOD this whole story is so funny in hindsight.


End file.
